1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a locking device for an electrical connector.
2. The Prior Art
Locking devices are used frequently in electrical connectors for facilitating fastening connectors to a circuit board and some of them are disclosed in, for example, Taiwan Patent Application Nos. 80202099, 80207178, 81207106, 82204413, 82206344, 82216079, 83207936 and 84101384. With conventional locking devices, interference occurs at the beginning of insertion into a hole of a circuit board, and a relatively large force must be exerted on the connector possessing these locking devices at the very beginning. However, usually the conductive contacts received in the connector do not reach or align with the corresponding receiving holes in the circuit board, which causes bending or buckling or misalignment of contacts. In addition, the point portion of the locking device scratches the inner surface of the receiving holes. Furthermore, the buoyancy generated by the molten solder during wave-soldering procedure lifts the connector and, in turn, the locking devices, which results in point contact between the point portion of the locking device and the inner wall of the receiving hole, and thus does not provide locking force enough to retain the connector on the circuit board.
Hence, there is a need for a locking device for an electrical connector that can overcome the above-mentioned problems and shortcomings.